The digital infrastructure of today demands large quantities of
electrical energy – data centres alone are believed to consume around 1.3% of
the world’s electricity, equivalent to about 286,000 GWh per year. However, only
about 40% of this energy is used productively, according to Power Usage
Effectiveness (PUE) calculations by the Uptime Institute, while the rest is
lost, mostly as heat that must be dissipated by large and expensive cooling
systems.

Given that the numbers of cloud users and uptake of cloud services are
growing quickly and will continue to do so, it is imperative to improve efficiency.

Techniques such as digital control of computer power supplies can help
boost data centre efficiency to over 60% by adjusting continuously with
fluctuating power demand, according to the Uptime Institute. ST’s new
microcontroller simplifies the data centre industry’s transition to
energy-efficient digital power supplies, such as multi-phase interleaved or
resonant soft-switching (LLC), by providing all the major power control
functions in a single chip.

The 217ps high-resolution timer embedded in the STM32F334 guarantees
superior precision allowing better power supply efficiency while the
asynchronous ultra-fast reaction time guarantees safe operation. This will
maximise the impact of digital power conversion to improve the cloud’s
efficiency, potentially reducing global electricity demand by around 280GWh daily,
roughly equivalent to the electricity production of the Netherlands.

According to Michel Buffa, General Manager, Microcontroller Division,
STMicroelectronics, the new STM32F334 Digital Power line adds innovations such
as the high-resolution timer, and integrates features already proven in STM32
F3 devices used for digital motor drives and solar inverters to create some of the
industry’s most advanced microcontrollers for digital power applications.

The new STM32F334 Digital Power line is an extension of ST’s successful
STM32 family with the full pin and SW compatibility with the entry-level
STM32F301 devices providing the powerful advantage of a single development
platform. A proven development ecosystem supports the STM32F334 Digital Power
line, assisting the design of high-performance digital power units.

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